I have a goal of being able to do a 100km charity ride in April this year, or if this is not achievable, at least 80km!

I have been riding for about 4.5 months total, with consistent riding from Dec - now of 3 rides per week. Before that I was a bit all over the shop. My longest ride to date is 56km with 562m ascent, and almost equal descent. I am of average fitness (still die on hills ), female, 27 yrs old and ride a Trek Madone 4.5 (2012 model).

At the moment I ride 3 times a week, usually 30km, 40km and 45-50km rides. One is with a group so it pushs me to go a bit faster, but on my own I only avg about 21km/h. To be able to push up my endurance to make 100km should I just make one ride longer, then increase it by 10% or so each week? Or should I just aim to ride more often during the week at the distances I am now to build more base kms in my legs first?

I have an indoor trainer, but I am unsure of how to start doing interval work. There is so much info out there, it is hard to pick what would suit me best.

Great goal. Not sure I can offer any training advice other than to keep building up.

I did a 100km solo last Friday as a training run for a multi-day charity ride in April (Lions Ride for Sight). I regularly ride to work twice a week, 30km each way, plus a 45km group ride each Sunday. I managed the distance and Gippsland hills quite comfortably.

One day, I just decided that I was going to do 100km. I dont know if I was ready for it but I just did.

I also made sure that I started out at a comfortable pace and tried to keep it.

Pick a day, and just do it. If you are already doing 50, 100 will be fine. Dont let anybody push the pace higher than you are comfortable with the first time.

cheers and good luckGlenn

-----------"Pain is temporary. It may last a minute, or an hour, or a day, or a year, but eventually it will subside and something else will take its place. If I quit, however, it lasts forever" Lance Armstrong

Q. Is the course flat(ish) or does it have a few hills? If it has a lot of hills (highly unlikely for a charity ride) then you need to make sure you add a few hills in the training mix. The secret there is to pick a pace you can maintain (I am definitely not a climber), I found early on that my biggest problem on hills was psyching myself out; if you ride within your limits on a strange climb you have the knowledge that you have something extra in the tank

Q. Are you riding alone or with a friend(s)/group? with a few friends is good as it is extra motivation/distraction and you can share the work on the front (also good for making training more fun). It is good to get used to riding with a lot of riders around you (sometimes their skills/decisions may not be the best so watch out). The down side to a group is needing to keep up to the group pace unless it is understood by all that the group slows down for anyone struggling etc-need some common understandings.

Agree with the comments on nutrition (have a muesli bar/gel every 25km) and fluids. Building up the km/week in the legs is vital, just so the saddle area will forgive you . If you can already manage 50-60km then you are pretty much there, you will hit 100km alright, the adrenaline etc will kick in (don't go out too hard early on).

All good advice.I've been riding for just under 12 months now and it took me about 4-5 months before I completed my first 100km ride (which at the time seemed unachievable).If you can already regularly ride 50 km's then you will be able to ride 80km's no worries, so start upping one of the longer rides to this kind of distance once or twice.From there you'll be ready to go the 100km's, and beyond.

My first 100km's I didn't drink nor eat anywhere near enough (and my body wasn't used to endurance riding for so long), so whilst I finished the ride OK I was a little dehydrated and didn't feel as fresh as I did with shorter rides - but I wasn't a train wreck either.

As you become accustomed to longer rides you quickly learn how long you can go before needing to take in energy (and what kinds of foods/snacks work best for you, as everyone is different). At this stage I know I can ride at least 50km's on a single bidon (and on long rides I always carry two bottles), so anything over 100 km's and I'll be looking to top up somewhere - or if it is hot I will drink alot more. Snack wise, a banana, energy gel or muesli bar usually does the trick (for me) but during the 200km Around The Bay ride last year a jam sandwich also helped (along with the food provided along the way)....and I felt better after finishing the 200km ATB ride than when I rode my first 100km ride (even though it was twice as far and only a few months apart) - all because I had learnt how much to eat and drink along the way.

These days, anything under 80-100km's I consider a short ride, something I would have thought ridiculous 6+ months ago....and I can enjoy these rides without worrying about making the distance because I can prepare myself (and my energy needs) accordingly.

My advice is to up the distance of your long ride per week, play around with drinking and eating more (or less) during your rides to try and find what your body needs (and at what points during the ride). Once you know how long a bottle of water will last you (on average) and how often you need to take in food you can then work out how much to take with you on longer rides and/or plan to stop at certain locations for a break and refreshments/snacks....and when in doubt, drink more (not less)!

And once you return home, continue to drink plenty of fluids and take in some food to replenish your energy.

great advice above already. One thing I'd add is that if you're someone prone to cramping (I am!) it is a good idea to build up to the distance steadily. I could ride 30-40-50km at a decent pace, but when I stretched it out a bit further I would get cramps. Even a 65km ride gave my legs spasms. I then tried to go from 65km to 100km in one go and cramped badly from 60km onwards. I've since done a few 100's and no longer cramp at that distance. I think for me it's a combination of putting the miles into my legs and just general cardio-vascular fitness. I've tried all kinds of supplements, drinking lots, drinking only when thirsty, eating before and during etc etc.. For me, sadly, i just had to build up gradually.

Did a ride on the w/e with a mate. We stopped half way for maccas (flame suit on) I loaded up and he had a salad. The dude could barely pedal to the end. As others have said if you're doing 50kms 100km is a stretch but doable - Eat well.

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